Discrete Conservation Properties of Unstructured Mesh Schemes

Abstract

Numerical methods with discrete conservation statements are useful because they cannot produce solutions that violate important physical constraints. A large number of numerical methods used in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have either global or local conservation statements for some of the primary unknowns of the method. This review suggests that local conservation of primary unknowns often follows from global conservation of those quantities. Secondary conservation involves the conservation of derived quantities, such as kinetic energy, entropy, and vorticity, which are not directly unknowns of the numerical system. Secondary conservation can further improve physical fidelity of a numerical solution, but it is typically much harder to achieve. We consider current approaches to secondary conservation and techniques used outside of CFD that are potentially related. Finally, the review concludes with a discussion of how secondary conservation properties might be included automatically.